The Administration Tries Desperately to Prepare for Occupy Cal

Emails from the belly of the beast. The first one is from Stephen Stoll, of UCPD and Homeland Security (yes, that Homeland Security):

SPROUL HALL

As you may be aware the OCCUPY CAL organization has planned a number of events for November 9 which call for a walkout and noontime rally on Sproul Plaza and setting up an encampment in support of the national Occupy Wall Street movement. We have information Sproul Hall may be one of the designated buildings for “occupation”

To ensure the safety of our staff and the continuance of routine business throughout the day, we will be locking down the building beginning at 1100am for the remainder of the day. Entry will ONLY be from the SOUTH first floor entrance. Please ensure your department staff are aware of this and have their Cal ID’s available for entry. If student workers or employees  do not have their ID’s they will have to call someone in their Department to come down and vouch for them.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but this is a precautionary measure to ensure everyone’s safety

Stephen Stoll

UCPD

642-1258

The second email is more general, but no less hilariously alarmist:

From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 8:47 AM

Subject: Nov. 9th - OCCUPY CAL - Events

Dear All,

Please read the following message from the Office of Emergency Preparedness concerning tomorrow’s “OCCUPY CAL” events.  

As you may be aware the OCCUPY CAL organization has planned a number of
events for November 9 which call for a walkout and noontime rally on
Sproul Plaza and setting up an encampment in support of the national
Occupy Wall Street movement. While it is unknown how these events will
unfold over the course of the day, these activities may present some
unique challenges for the campus as the majority of our facilities are
open to the public. These actions may cause some disruptions to the
everyday routine, including erroneous "fire alarm" pulls or other
associated activities around the campus, including potential marches
through campus buildings and "sit-ins". Although we do not expect any
malicious activities, it’s possible your building may be marched through or
even have minor disruptions, so it is best to be a little more vigilant
for those who may be roaming our halls.

For those buildings that have been the target of occupations or
"erroneous" fire alarm pulls in the past, it may be worthwhile to have an
"extra" presence in the hallways and common areas.

*********************************************
Please follow these procedures should
marchers enter your building:

If marchers enter your building, let them. Try to carry on business as
usual. If the noise becomes too great, or the crowd too large, feel free
to close and lock your office doors - this is a departmental decision. Do
not close your buildings unless the Police advise you to.

As a reminder, in the past, some of these activities have included
repeated fire alarm pulls. If a building fire alarm sounds, follow your
normal procedures and evacuate the building. Do not re-enter until given
the “all clear” by a Campus official. We are working with the Campus Fire
Marshal’s office to address these types of situations and if your facility
is involved we will be contacting you.
As always, if you have questions please feel free to contact the UC Police
department at 642-6760 or call via cell phone to 642-3333.

************************************************************

From an informational perspective, if you observe any unusual gatherings
or activities in your building/facility; if you observe any suspicious
activities or if you experience actual disruptions to classroom or
administrative routines, call UCPD (911 or Cell phone 642-3333) and we
will provide the appropriate support.

We will be utilizing the BC email as a conduit for campus-wide specific
information we need to disseminate, so please check your email regularly.

Thank You,
The Office of Emergency Preparedness